Top Toy List for 2-6 Year Olds!

Here is a list of my favourite toys and resources for young children aged 2 to 6, which all promote open-ended play, curiosity, independence and creativity!

Over on my Facebook page recently many readers asked me to put together a list of all my favourite toys and resources for young children. This has been really fun for me to create as I’m passionate about truly good quality, creative and intelligent toys for kids. Having taught with fairly energetic classes of Reception kids for many years, as well as having my own now, I’ve bought, handled and played with a LOT of toys over the past decade and have a good idea of which ones are the best types for creative play. This list either contains products that we own, I have used in the classroom or I have currently on my wish list for my own children.

There are way too many for one post, so I’m starting with a general, go-to supply list for toys, and will follow up with other themed lists soon, including art and sensory products, baby toys and educational materials. I have stated that this collection is suitable from age 2, even though many of the products themselves are recommended from ages 3 and up. My own have been fairly reliable from age 2 and don’t habitually put things in their mouths after this age. Please use your own knowledge of your child
when thinking what to buy.

There are probably many more things that I could add to this list, and may come back and do so after we have tried them for ourselves and can attest that they are fabulous!

Also see our Top Toys for Babies and Toddlers list here![This post contains links to Amazon via my affiliates account. That simply means that if you buy anything after following a link, it will make no difference to you but I may earn enough to buy a cup of coffee, as a tip. Thanks!]

Comments

Thanks for the list, it’s really helpful. I’m always after things for my son to play with that offer something more, whether it’s educational, stimulating, creative or just fun. My problem was sifting though endless web pages of toys – so much choice and so little time! Now my only problem is convincing relatives what to buy him when they seem bent on getting ugly plasticky things that will get thrown aside after a few minutes and that we don’t have space for!

Wow, great ideas for Christmas. I love your website, it had re inspired me to be creative with my girls with ideas that work!! I teach English to French children in France, i use your ideas with them too….so much language is used when playing hey?!! So a big, big thank-you

I love the ideas! I am always looking for new ideas for the clinic and we often have parents asking what to get their kids for the holidays or for birthdays. I will definitely share this list! I think games and toys with pieces are a great way to incorporate repetition and imagination in! Thanks again.

Super d duper!! What a useful list to have 🙂 We have ordered the mirror blocks – I’ve been looking something like these for ages and was so excited when I saw them here AND even better where to order them! Thank you so much. Looking forward to seeing the other lists now x

what a great list thank you, just a quick question how do you deal with relatives buying for your children? I’m making a wish list on amazon of items I would like my son to have but I don’t think the in laws will pay much attention, all the toys they have for my son at their house are the noisy plastic type which I just don’t want my son playing with. x